


home is with you.

by zielschmerz



Category: Atypical (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, evan is not in this as usual, i have nothing against him but i just love these two too much, i wrote this with sleep deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 19:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21433372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zielschmerz/pseuds/zielschmerz
Summary: tumblr prompt: Izzie needs someone to watch her siblings during a weekend out of town track meet. Elsa and Doug just offer to bring the kids to the meet so they can watch their big sister race. Cuteness ensues of kids cheering on Izzie and Casey and them all celebrating together.
Relationships: Casey Gardner/Izzie
Comments: 16
Kudos: 339





	home is with you.

**Author's Note:**

> characters belong to atypical, but the story is mine.
> 
> i think i'm having a hard time writing fluff without some angst. please be gentle with me, loves.

It’s a sense of dread she feels, or perhaps it’s helplessness.

Izzie couldn’t tell anymore. Sometimes she feels so much of both that they start to intertwine and it’s _numbing_. Her hold on the door handle weakens when she realizes that her mother has disappeared _again_.

How many times has it been? Izzie had stopped counting after five because it hurts all the same, and it cuts deeper whenever her mother comes back apologizing in tears.

“_I love you, Bella,” _her mother would say, “_I couldn’t do this anymore, you have to understand.” _

The only thing Izzie understood was that she had to be the mother that she wasn’t supposed to be, and she was so exhausted. It’s as if her whole body and mind is screaming at her. Feeling defeated, she looks up to the clock on the wall and tries to calculate how much time she has before her siblings are off from school.

Grabbing her phone from the back pocket, she dials the familiar number. The call gets picked up on the second ring, and her grandma knew immediately.

“I have a doctor’s appointment today,” her gentle voice filters through the speaker, “but I can bring the kids with –”

Izzie interrupts, “No, it’s fine. I’ll figure it out.” Her words waver slightly on the last note and continues in a muted tone, “I always do.”

“I’m really sorry, Darling. I’ll be done in the afternoon,” Her grandma sighs, “Bring them here then and I can take them for the night.”

“Thank you.” Izzie says softly, and hangs up the phone.

。‧。‧。

“What do you mean you can’t come to the meet?” Casey asks incredulously as her voice increases, and Izzie has to pull the phone slightly away. “The scouts from USC and UW will be there, and this is our one and only chance.”

Izzie opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. The words feel stuck to her throat and so she stays silent. The silence drags on, and Izzie is suffocating.

“She’s gone again, isn’t she?” Casey’s words come out as a whisper, as if she’s trying to protect something… or someone.

The laugh that comes out surprises her. Izzie thinks about how bitter it sounds. It’s like second nature now. To feel bitter about not being perfect enough. To feel bitter about her faded childhood. To feel bitter about lost chances.

“I’ll be fine, Newton,” Izzie says, “Go run and be the Superstar for the both of us.” 

She can hear Casey’s sharp intake of breath before she starts speaking, but Izzie notices the sudden pause and the quiet murmuring next to Casey.

“Wait for me. I’ll be there in fifteen.” Casey hangs up the phone as soon as she finishes. Izzie looks down in disbelief at the phone in her hand. She doesn’t know what’s happening, and gets distracted by her younger siblings running through the door.

。‧。‧。

Between making after-school snacks and helping her siblings with homework, Izzie completely lost track of time. It isn’t until she hears Marco, the oldest of her three siblings, open the front door that she remembers Casey’s words.

“Marco!” Izzie rushes to the door and smiles at Marco,” Go eat your snack. I’ll be there soon, yeah?”

He gives Casey a nod of acknowledgement before he returns to the dining table. Izzie thinks about how mature he is, and it hurts seeing it. He is only nine years old, yet he can barely get enough normalcy to live like he should at his age.

Turning her attention to Casey, Izzie can’t help but admire her outfit for today. From black denim jeans to baby blue crewneck, Casey looks like comfort personified. When her eyes finally meet Casey’s eyes full of smug, the blush sears across her cheeks and her face feels as though it’s on fire.

“Grab your track duffel, and pack your siblings’ things”, Casey instructs, “Dad and Elsa volunteered to watch them for the day.”

Izzie’s lips part with surprise. She isn’t sure if she heard Casey right.

“Come on,” Casey smiles and nudges her, “We don’t have all day, Iz.”

Her body moves on its own accord. It’s as though she’s watching herself pack her brothers’ and sister’s clothes. Her hands grab on to whatever she deems necessary and shoves them into their respective bags.

Calling her siblings over, Izzie tells them briefly that they will be staying with a friend of hers. After they all nod with understanding, she shuffles them into the backseat of Casey’s car. Most of the car ride was passed in silence, and the occasional hushed whispering between the three children in the back. As the car rolls to a stop in front of the house, Izzie feels compelled to say something.

“You didn’t have to do this. Mrs. Gardner and Mr. Gardner didn’t have to –,” Izzie starts but then closes her mouth. She swallows down the sob that almost came out. Casey glances at her and looks on sympathetically. Eyes alight with warmth, Casey turns and reaches out to place her hand on Izzie’s own trembling ones.

“No,” Casey replies with a tender smile, “but I know how much this means to you.”

。‧。‧。

With only an hour away from team meeting, Casey and Izzie changes into their track uniforms as quickly as possible. Izzie stands in front of the mirror and stares back at herself. Is she really ready for this track meet? Even with her wishing for the best, she still doesn’t know if she has what it takes to impress the scouts.

Her arms fall limp at her sides, and feels her anxiety rising with every breath she takes. Her mind is buzzing with _I can’t do it_ and she wants to kneel down and scream. She knows she’s barely holding herself up. She is so lost in her thoughts that she doesn’t notice Casey sneaking up on her from behind.

Casey’s arm wraps around her waist from behind, unknowingly holding her up. Like a rescue buoy to someone who’s about to drown. Izzie leans her head back against Casey’s neck, and holds Casey’s arms tighter around her.

_Tighter. _She needs it to be _tighter_. Tight enough to keep all her broken pieces together.

“Breathe, Iz,” Casey speaks slowly and quietly, each word wraps around her like a blanket. “I’m here. I’ll run through the finishing line holding your hand if I have to.”

“We start and finish together,” Casey continues,” You and me against the world.”

Pulling back slightly, Casey leans down and presses their foreheads together.

。‧。‧。

_Today is a good day for running_, Izzie thinks. The sun is out with a clear blue sky and she wonders if she can run fast enough to be just a step closer to the it. Izzie shakes her head, trying to clear her mind free of distractions. She scans the audience bleachers for her mother that will never be there, and her siblings that are too young for her to bring alone. Just as she’s about to start her warm up lap, she hears Marianne, her baby sister, yelling at the top of her lungs.

Her head whips around in shock, and it’s like every fiber of her being is vibrating with anticipation. Izzie spots her, jumping up and down in her purple polka-dot dress, almost immediately. She takes off sprinting toward the seating area and, as she draws closer, she sees Doug and Elsa each holding hands with her brothers. They all have a little Clayton stick-on tattoos on their cheeks, and Izzie’s heart feels almost too full to function.

“Go, Izzie!” Elsa calls out through her cupped hands, “We believe in you!”

A slightly quieter chants of _Izzie, you’re number one’s_ and _we love you’s_ follow, and she can see her siblings jumping dramatically to catch her attention. Izzie couldn’t stop smiling, this is the first meet that she’s ever had anyone cheering for her on the sideline.

She sees Casey coming out of the corner of her eyes, and she rolls her eyes good naturedly.

“You knew?”

“Depends,” Casey pretends to think for a second. “Are you happy?”

_Happy_. That’s a feeling she experiences in fleeting moments, or with Casey. She looks back to the bleachers and watches Mr. and Mrs. Gardner wave around their hand-made banners for her and Casey. She watches the way her siblings get dragged back down from climbing the railings because they wanted to be more visible to her.

“More than I’ve ever been, Newton.” And it’s nothing more than the truth. Izzie’s eyes crinkle around the edge as she smiles, and her dimples sink deeper than usual.

Casey can’t help but reach out to touch her cheek. Her fingers trail down to where her dimples cave in. Leaning in, her breath hot against Izzie’s face, and Izzie wants more than anything to just turn her head and kiss her.

They jump apart when they hear the warning bell, and the static sounds of announcement follows through the speaker.

The race is about to start.

。‧。‧。

Izzie ends up winning first place for her event, and Casey has broken a new record again.

Once the results and medals have been presented, Casey looks around the crowd for _her_.

Her _person_.

Her _favorite person_.

As she shuffles through groups after groups of people, she ends up locking eyes with Izzie just as she turns to look for her. The smile that graces across her face was breathtaking, and Casey couldn’t help but run toward Izzie. She stops short of reaching her and they stand a foot apart waiting for one another to make the first move.

Both are too scared take the step forward. To break that tentative boundaries, they’ve built. It’s Casey who makes the first move. Izzie’s eyes shine with unshed tears as she watches Casey come closer and closer. Casey does it without hesitation and her hand caresses Izzie’s cheek as her lips meets hers. The waves of pleasure encompass her whole body, and Izzie grasps desperately at Casey’s waist.

Her lips are soft. The kiss is so gentle it breaks Izzie apart but mends her in the all the right places. The lone tear slides down her face as she takes a shuddering breath. Her heart feels like it was let out of a contained box, and now it’s pulling at one single direction – Casey.

“Was that okay?” Izzie asks while pulling back, her cheeks flushed from the kiss. The concern evident in her voice.

“It was sort of weird,” Casey stares at her with a slight smirk.

“Bad weird?”

“My favorite kind of weird.”

**Author's Note:**

> come bother me @ heyluthor on tumblr or send prompts so I can write more of them falling in love because they’re so fucking soft it breaks my heart.


End file.
